Sign Language
by HrWeasley
Summary: House goes to visit a patient.
1. Chapter 1

"Where are you going?" Cameron asked, her heels clicking rapidly on the floor as she tried to keep up with, despite his limp and walking stick.

"To see my patient." He replied as though it was obvious.

"You never go see patients."

"That is not true- remember that blonde gymnast?"

"Other than attractive females, you don't go see patients until you have to."

"You mean when I have to go find out the truth after they all lie to you."

"Everybody lies." Cameron sighed, shaking her head lightly.

"Everyone except this kid- deaf, mute and can't sign because of that funky thumb of his."

"He's not some freak show."

"I don't visit patients you complain. I visit patients you complain."

"Well seeing as you're going to see him, you can save me the visit." Cameron said handing over her clipboard.

"Obs smobs, I'm here for the thumb and the rash." House smiled, raising his eyebrows a few times before turning to slide open the door of the room. "Here we are, what's wrong with us today?"

"Who are you talking to?" Cameron asked as she checked off the patient's chart.

"Little Bobby here." House replied, peering over Cameron's shoulder to read the patient's name. "Good bedside manner and all that."

"He prefers to be called Rob. And he's deaf."

"He could still lip read."

"He's asleep." Cameron pointed out as she leant over the boy to continue her examination.

"I doubt he'll be asleep long- he's missing out on a show." House smiled as he glanced down Cameron's chest. His smile widened as Rob's eyes fluttered open.

Straightening herself up Cameron continued to write on the chart. "It says on his chart he can't lip read." She bit her lip as she tried to not laugh at her boss' over exaggerated speech.

"And what genius figured that out?" House said, throwing his cane up and catching it before hooking it over the edge of the bed. Cracking his fingers he beckoned the boy's attention and began to sign to him. The boy's smile grew before he suggestively nodded towards Cameron.

"What did you say to him?" Cameron asked, outraged at the looks the boy was giving her.

"That's for me to know and you to most definitely never find out." He said as he lifted his cane and winked at his patient before limping out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

I wasn't going to make this story longer than one chapter- it was just one of those thoughts I have late at night that keep me awake. It won't be a long story- another short chapter probably.

* * *

"What did you say to him?" Cameron asked for the millionth time as they walked into House's office.

"That he's not missing out by not hearing. All the nagging..." He finally spoke as he turned to his collection of records. "But this collection of smooth jazz, blues, trumpets, saxophones, blended together into this rich, deep sound..." He continued to describe the music as Cameron yet again asked, ignoring the temptation to stamp her foot in frustration.

"When you two have stopped flirting, what's wrong with the kid?" Chase called from his seat at the table.

"I wasn't flirting." Cameron stated, taking her seat and pulling a file towards herself.

"Yeah, Cameron only goes for the kiddies." House smiled as he hobbled towards his mug to pour a cup of coffee.

"I'm not even going to ask." Chase said as he lifted the marker pen to begin working through the diagnosis on the white board.

"You haven't worked up to that responsibility yet." House said taking the pen from his hand. "Go run some blood tests."

"For what?" Chase asked.

"I think it's lupus." Foreman said before House could respond.

"It's never lupus." House said exasperated. "Go run tests for everything. The kid's not going anywhere." House said to Chase. "And if you're so sure it's lupus, go do your tests." He said addressing Foreman.

When both had left the office Cameron began to speak. "I agree with him."

"You agree with who?"

"Foreman."

"That's only because Chase didn't have an opinion."

"You can't ignore the kid's rash or the pain his joints, especially in his thumbs. Then there's the fever, high blood pressure."

"It's never lupus."

"You just don't want it to be lupus because not even you can cure it."

"It's not lupus." House said, turning his music up whilst pretending to work on his computer.


	3. Chapter 3

This is another quick update as it's a snow day and I actually have time to write- otherwise you'd all hate me for never updating.

* * *

"I'm worried about him." Cameron said as she took a seat in Wilson's office.

"Why?" Wilson asked.

"He went to visit a patient."

"A female patient?"

"No, a male patient. Teenager."

"Anything interesting?"

"A rash, and he appears to have a "lupus thumb"."

"So it's lupus then?"

"He won't believe it until the results come back."

"If he even will then."

"He's insufferable. It's starring him in the face, but of course it's never lupus. Lupus doesn't affect 1.5 million Americans."

"To be fair 90% are women."

"That doesn't mean this kid doesn't have it."

"Cameron." Wilson said as he linked his hands together. "I know you care a lot about your patients, and about House...."

"What are you implying?"

"I just think you need to just let House be House. If this kid has lupus, he'll accept it. As for him visiting patients I can't really say. I hope to never understand why House does things."

"Will you talk to him?"

Wilson sighed. "I'm not sure how that will help, but if it makes you feel better then yes."

"Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

House stood in Wilson's office looking out the window. His nose lightly rested on the pane as his breath steamed up the glass below.

"You're falling for her." Wilson stated as he lifted a book of the shelf, lightly wiping a cloth of the leather cover.

"I am not falling for her." House replied, not moving from his spot.

"Fine, you can't _let_ yourself fall for her."

"Don't you have a cleaner for that?" House gestured towards the book that Wilson was wiping down.

"I like to do it."

House shrugged before he continued to stare out the window, his eyes darting about as he tried to find something to focus on, finally choosing a bird that was fluttering about in the cloud-free sky.

"She's pretty I'll give you that." He said absentmindedly.

"Caring, sincere, smart... all the qualities you don't look for in women. With one exception." Wilson's speech was stopped by the glare from House. "But we won't talk about that." He turned around to place the book back in its place before lifting down another.

"Cameron is just looking for someone else to need her." House lightly tapped his cane on the carpet.

"And you don't need anyone, do you House?" Wilson once again received a glare, before House went back to his staring.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't know whether to have a cheesy ending or not. Somehow it just doesn't feel very House like.

* * *

"You have to face up to the fact it's lupus sometime." Cameron said as she stood over House's desk.

"Hmph." House grunted as he continued to turn the multicoloured sides of his Rubik's cube.

"House."

"Hm." He grunted again, not looking up from his toy.

"House, look at me." Cameron said firmly.

Setting down the Rubik's cube House looked up at her, crossing his arms as he waited for her to talk.

"You can't fix everything." She sighed. "I know it's unfair. Life's unfair. This kid doesn't deserve to be deaf, mute, have lupus..." Again she sighed, pausing a little longer as she decided if she should continue. "And you don't deserve to... well..." She gestured towards his cane.

"I'm fine." He said coldly.

"You're not fine. You hide behind those pills, your sarcasm, the distance..."

"Maybe that's just me. Maybe I'm meant to be this way." House interrupted, more emotion entering his voice than he intended.

"I don't think so. I've seen the other side to you. House... I...." She sat down, and reached her hand over the table, placing it on his hand that was now drumming lightly on the glass. "...I..."

There was a lingering silence as both fought with themselves over what to say. House spoke first, pausing slightly as he looked into her eyes.

"Cameron." His voice was soft, almost caring. Then he looked away, his head shaking slightly as if to clear it. "I'm not some charity case. I don't need looking after, and I don't need to change. Life is unfair, but that's good sometimes. Life shouldn't just revolve around you."

He paused again. "Unless you know how to take..." His eyes seemed to turn cold as he pulled his hand away from hers, lifting the Rubik's cube off the desk once again. "...how to manipulate..." He continued, quickly turning the Rubik's cube's sides in what seemed to be a chaotic order. Within seconds the coloured sides began to take shape. "...and how to win the game." He finished, setting the completed cube on the table before he lifted his cane and walked out of his office, leaving a confused Cameron to stare at the space where he once sat.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm still undecided as to the ending. There might be have to be alternative endings!

* * *

"Are you happy?" Cuddy asked as she switched off the loud music that was blasting from House's stereo.

"Yes, high as a kite in fact." House grinned like a Cheshire cat, his eyes unable to focus on the fuming woman in front of him.

"What did you take?"

"Nothing, I'm just high on life." He said, twirling around in his office chair.

"House. What did you take?" Cuddy said firmly as she grabbed either arm of the chair stopping it's spinning motion.

"A little of this, a little of that." His eyebrows wiggled as he moved his face towards Cuddy's cleavage. She swiftly stood back placing her hands on her hips as she despaired at his behaviour.

""You're so irresponsible! You have a patient down there, with a diagnosis and a mother eager to take him home and you've gone AWOL acting like some punk ass teenager."

"You said ass." House laughed to himself, pointing at Cuddy.

Fighting to control her temper Cuddy made her way towards the office door. Turning she said, "Sort yourself out and discharge the kid, or I'll do it for you."

She was just about to leave when House softly asked, "What if it's not lupus?"

Turning once again she shook her head, "It couldn't be any more obvious that it's lupus if the kid was walking around with a big neon sign over his head."

"What if it's drug induced lupus? He has arthritis in his hands, what if someone gave him Penicillamine?"

"It would have been in the files."

"But what if it wasn't?"

"We're controlling his medication. If it's drug induced the symptoms will start to go away."

"We can't discharge him yet then."

"You have until the end of the week. And you still need to sort yourself out."

* * *

A few moments later Cameron entered the office, to find House once again spinning his chair making a high pitched "wheee" sound.

"Yet more drugs." Cameron said a tone of disgust in her voice.

"Maybe this is the real me. Kinda happy. A little crazy. Easily amused by a spinning chair." House replied as he continued to spin.

"You need to grow up." Cameron said as she turned to leave, before hearing a loud thud. She turned to see House lying in a heap beside his desk. Sighing to herself she walked over to him, and leant over him as she wondered how she was going to get him back in his chair.

"You need to grow down." House said as he peered up at her. "You're _really _tall for a girl."

Bending down, Cameron placed her hands on his upper arms pulling him into a seating position on the floor. Being somewhat cooperative House helped her to right himself and soon he was sitting back in his chair. Before Cameron could move away, House began to lean forward, catching her jaw with a kiss as she turned her head, realising what he trying to do.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cameron demanded to know. When House just sat there staring at her with a glazed over expression she quickly made her way out of the office, only stopping to say, "You need to get a grip House. Otherwise, when you reach rock bottom you might find yourself all alone."


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for taking ages to update. I do intend on finishing this story.

Disclaimer- not mine.

* * *

"What goes up must come down , eh?" Wilson said as he set a glass down on the glass table. House winced slightly and covered his face with his right hand whilst reaching his left hand into his pocket for his pills.

"It's a never ending cycle with you isn't it?"

"Could you save the lecture and make me some coffee instead?" House whined, lowering his head onto his arms that were crossed on top of the desk.

"Caffeine- just what you need to mix with the vicodin."

"Ok, _dad, _I get the picture. Drugs equal bad. Why'd you become a doctor again?"

"To help people"

"Not to be a hypocrite then?"

"I give out drugs that help make people better or to improve their quality of life, not for some cheap thrill."

"These could be my last days for all you know. I could get hit by a bus."

"Or overdose on medication..." Wilson muttered.

"And these drugs do improve my quality of life." House continued, ignoring his colleague.

"Yeh, you really look like you're living life to the full. Cameron's right you know."

"About what?"

"About the fact that you're going to reach the bottom and have no one to look up to for help."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer- not mine.

* * *

House pondered their words all day. He'd hit what he thought was rock bottom a few times and somewhere deep down he knew that the drugs weren't going to save him, though they made for a much more pleasant ride.  
Why did they have to keep nagging him? He was used to Wilson doing it. For the most part he could take his words with a pinch of salt. Wilson would never abandon him. At worst he'd put him into rehab, but he'd still be there at the end of the day. He wasn't so sure about Cameron.

What was it about her and projects? Both she and Wilson liked to be needed, but her need had all these messy strings attached and despite his problem solving skills House couldn't determine if they were strings he wanted or if he could easily cut them and let her walk away. He thought she would walk away. Maybe not for good, but at least for a time in the hope it shook him up. They all did in the end. He was too much of a loose cannon to love.

Love. Was that really what it boiled down to? He wasn't one to dwell on his own feelings much, never mind those of others. Was this latest drug abuse episode enough to make him change? He doubted it. It had to be all or nothing, and at that moment in time it was definitely looking like nothing. The first question House had to answer was what "it" was. Was it  
his love of medication, or was it Cameron?

It was then his leg started to ache. His hand reached into his pocket, fingers curled around the bottle as he twisted it in his hand. He was just going to tip the bottle into his free hand when she walked into the room.

"I see you're still not fully recovered." Cameron stated trying to keep any emotion out of her voice.

"I've been better, I've been worse." House said removing his hand from his pocket and taking the piece of paper she handed him.

"It's the ANA test results. It looks like you may have been right about drug induced lupus. Hopefully we'll see some of the symptoms subside in the next few days. Chase did a check of the home and found these." She said as she gave him a bottle.

"Minocycline? For acne? Even I wasn't expecting that. Maybe you should hold onto that." He said handing her back the bottle. "And these." His hand once again dipped into his pocket.

It wasn't really a sign that he'd given them up as there were stashes of drugs all through his house and office, but Cameron saw it as a big step for him. He was handing over some of the control. He was handing it over to her. She couldn't help but wonder what other changes this would mean.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- not mine.

* * *

He knew he wouldn't last long on his own strength. If he went home he would cave and seek out his secret trainer stash. And in the hospital there were quite a few stashes too. The herbal tea jar for one. The flower pot, the guitar case, the computer unit... He needed a distraction.

Cameron was really starting to drive herself mad with thoughts of House. She wanted to see him strong and independent. But there was part of her that liked the fragile House. The one that needed picked up from the floor. The one that tried to kiss her.

She thought a lot about that almost kiss. She couldn't let it happen knowing that he was high. It would have led to one of two outcomes.

1) He wouldn't remember it, 2) He would choose to not remember it. Either way that would have been it.  
He would have gone on being his closed off self and she would have been left embarrassed, awkward and generally wanting more. The latter was unavoidable, but at least she had control.

She was now torn between helping him and keeping a professional distance. Her heart ached to be by his side, fulfilling his every need, keeping him out of harm's way and hopefully through his drug dependency. Her head said that she only held onto the control as long as she didn't do what he expected her to do.

* * *

"I see you've finally discharged the patient." Cameron said from the doorway.

"Yes." House replied, not looking up from his desk.

"You're in pain aren't you?" She asked as she watched towards him, seeing his hand rub his thigh.

"I'll get by."

"You need something to take the edge of it."

"I said I'll get by." House snapped picking up his cane and getting to his feet. His face contorted as the pain flooded his leg. He coughed lightly, a stern look on his face as he raised his chin and hobbled past her.

"Where are you going?" She called after him.

"Home."

"I don't think you should be alone." She said when she caught up with him at the lift, her hand holding the door open.

"Come with me then."

"I..." She hesitated.


	10. Chapter 10

She didn't follow him.

In his head it had gone differently. He had visioned her walking onto the lift. There was be an awkward moment. She would be cold and professional. He would be cold and well, his usual self. He might make a quip about her still not knowing what he had signed to the patient. She would try to not to look at him in case she smiled. The atmosphere would linger at his home. She would make preparations for him. She would search for his stashes, find the key for the bedroom. She would finally chance a look at him and maybe give him a half smile showing that she hoped it would all work out. He would go to the bedroom, sit on the bed and wait for the hell to start. But she would nurse him. She would listen to his cries. She would be a rock.

He tried to be strong. He went through his rooms methodically, taking out all of his vicodin and putting it in an empty shoe box. Once he found it all he went to the bathroom. He hesitated as he opened the first bottle over the sink. He watched the tablets tap, tap down the ceramic sink and disappear down the drain. Five bottles later he felt empty. He sank down onto the floor and held his hands.

He wasn't sure what would happen to him now.

Cameron paced the office. Her head and heart were at war over what to do. She'd wanted to get on that lift. Oh, how she had wanted to. Her heart longed to help him and a large part of herself simply longed to be close to him. But her head had won. She took a seat at House's desk and began to look through his paperwork to keep her mind occupied. After an hour or so of reading letters and looking through a new case file that Cuddy hoped House would consider Wilson sat down on the seat in front of her. His long brown coat was draped over his lap, and his briefcase sat at his feet.

"Are you going home now?"

"No, I'm not. I have to go away for a few days."

"What now?" Cameron asked with a squeak.

"There's a symposium I have to attend. I'm a guest speaker."

"But... but House needs you."

"House has know about this for weeks."

"So why would he..."

"Cameron, I really don't know why House does these things. I hope it'll all work out for the best for him but I really can't stay to nurse him."

"He can't go through it on his own."

"I'm not going to say if he can or not because I can't help him. If you feel you should then go, but just make sure you're doing it for the right reasons."

"What other reason is there than he needs someone?"

"That doesn't mean that someone should be you. Just think about it."

He gently squeezed her hand before gathering his things together. With his final glance as he left the room he could see her mind was already made up.


	11. Chapter 11

House groaned as the banging on the front door continued. Ten minutes they'd been knocking, wouldn't they ever get the hint? It seemed not. Standing up, slightly unsteady on his feet, he dragged himself to the door. Knock, knock, knock. It felt like a pneumatic drill going through his brain. Yanking open the door he was prepared to start yelling.

"What...what are you doing here?" He asked.

"You can't just wander off home for a detox House. There are ways to go about this, and you're going about it all wrong."

His head was beginning to hurt even more. There, standing in his doorway was Cuddy dressed in a tight black pencil skirt with a red blouse that was giving him a normally pleasurable view. He couldn't even bring himself to look. He turned and made his way back towards the bedroom.

"House." She said, waiting for him to turn around and look at her. "At least let me help."

Opening up her bag she withdrew a vial of drugs and a syringe. House's eyes went wide at the sight of the needle. Not normally one to be put off by such things he put down his reaction to the drugs, or lack thereof. After preparing the syringe Cuddy took one step towards House before he stumbled up against the back of the couch and toppled over it. Feet in the air he slumped down until he was head and shoulders were lying on the floor. Cuddy walked around and peered down at him.

"Oh for goodness sake."

He'd fainted.

Waking up House tried to figure out where he was. The lights were dim and whatever he was lying on was very comfortable. He came to the conclusion he must be in his bed. How had he gotten there though? Cuddy wouldn't have been able to move him on her own. He groaned as his head began to spin again.

"House..."

"Cuddy?"

"No, it's me. Cameron."

"Cameron?" She couldn't help but notice the change in tone of his voice. He had said her name in a soft almost loving way that made her heart beat slightly faster.

"Yes, I'm here. Don't try to move." She said as he tried to lift his head to look at her.

"Where's Cuddy?"

"Cuddy? Why are you asking about her? I expect she's at the hospital. She certainly isn't here House..."

"You mean I was seeing things... I hallucinated Cuddy?" House was beginning to panic.

Cameron couldn't help but laugh. She'd never been very good at lying to him and couldn't help herself now.

"Sorry, I just want to see your face."

He groaned again. "It's not very nice to play jokes on people when they're not feeling right."

"Hmm.. I wonder if there's a lesson there."

House lay down on the bed and closed his eyes to the glare of the light. Cameron was thankful that he had fallen asleep after hours and hours of groaning in pain. She watched him lie peacefully in a foetal position. He looked pale, his hair was askew and his shirt was torn open, small droplets of sweat glistened on his chest. After a few moments Cameron made herself leave him to rest and set about cleaning up the side effects of the withdrawal. The bathroom was the first place to start.


End file.
